COLOMBIA'S TET OFFENSIVE?

THE HARTFORD COURANT

Civil wars in El Salvador, Nicaragua and Guatemala are history, but the conflict in Colombia continues to rage 35 years after it began. Just in the past two years, the United States has given Colombia $1.7 billion, mostly in military aid. The U.S. role expanded substantially during President Bill Clinton's administration.

In spite of the huge security buildup, mortars rained on Bogota last week while Alvaro Uribe was being sworn in as president. At least one bomb exploded near the inauguration ceremony site. Seventeen people throughout the capital city died and more than 80 were injured.

No wonder Sen. Antonio Navarro concluded, "It's worrisome that this happened while 25,000 soldiers and police were deployed" to protect the city, along with Colombian and U.S. aircraft.

In a post-inaugural assessment, Mr. Uribe said his nation is vulnerable. That's an understatement. Marxist rebels control at least one-fifth of the country. Also spreading havoc are smaller right-wing militias. Colombia's armed forces, notwithstanding considerable U.S. assistance, have failed to dislodge the death squads of right and left.

Much of the fighting has been in rural areas or around provincial capitals. The attacks on Bogota indicate that urban guerrilla warfare may be in Colombia's future. They are reminiscent of the Viet Cong's 1968 Tet offensive in South Vietnam, when Saigon and its allies were shocked by a guerrilla offensive in cities, including assaults on the U.S. Embassy.

Colombia's guerrillas do not seem as entrenched in urban areas. Moreover, they received no outside sustenance remotely comparable to the Viet Cong's lifelines to Hanoi, Beijing and Moscow.

Still, the civil war is taking an estimated 3,500 lives a year and has caused economic and social havoc. The Marxist guerrillas and right-wing marauders have emerged as the world's leading narcotraffickers because they rely on income from cocaine to buy arms and feed and clothe their fighters.

Washington cannot win the civil war for Colombians, in spite of the sizable U.S. effort being made. The Colombians themselves have to settle their differences not by continuing the violent struggle but by demanding that their elected government resume negotiations with the rebels.

Mr. Uribe's inaugural words were encouraging. "We are offering democracy, so that arms can be replaced by argument," he said. The conciliatory approach is in contrast to his tough campaign rhetoric that emphasized an iron fist over negotiations.

Americans have a stake in what happens to one of Latin America's most enduring democracies. Colombia, endowed with rich human and natural resources, has the potential to become a world showcase for freedom and prosperity.